For the first time after his
disengament from the government of Akwa Ibom State as SSG, Mr. Umana Okon Umana
spoke to the press. He has been press shy since he left office, but recently
the technocrat-turned politician decided to break his silence. The reason for
doing this underscores the importance he attaches to the main reason for the
request for the interview, which is his recent reconciliation with his Nsit
Ubium brother and top-notch politician, Senator Effiong Dickson Bob. During his
constituency briefing recently in Nsit Ubium, the member representing the area
in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon Onofiok Luke, tried a
reconciliation gambit. He called on Apostle Isaiah Isong to lead a prayer of
reconciliation that would mark the breaking of the proverbial ice on the frosty
political relationship between the two key politicians in the area. Prayers
said and signs of forgives exchanged, the press went to town with the historic
reconciliation. Days later, a post was made on Ibom Forum and Ibibio Nation,
two prominent yahoo groups of Akwa Ibom people on the Internet. Mr. Thompson
Essien, Oregun-based Akwa Ibom political and social commentator, said in the
post that he spoke on telephone with Senator Effiong Bob and went on to
reproduce the content of his telephone conversation with the Distinguished
Senator. Among other things allegedly said by Bob was that the reconciliations
only exist in the imaginations of those who reported them. He accused the
former SSG as being a part of the ills of the Akpabio era and distanced himself
from both men. In his response Umana maintained that whatever was the problem
between him and Senator Bob was nothing personal, rather than political
differences that should in the spirit of "No permanent friend and no
permanent enemies" are forgiven and reconciled.
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| Umana Okon Umana, former Akwa Ibom SSG |
WEEKLY INSIGHT: There is a statement credited to
Senator Effiong Bob, now trending on the internet, saying that the
reconciliation effort initiated by the member representing Nsit Ubium state
constituency, Hon Onofiok Luke was a ruse and the figment of people's
imagination. What is your reaction to that?
UMANA: First, I must say that I have the
greatest respect for my brother, Senator Effiong Bob. He is a distinguished
personality and a very successful politician from my local government area.
What people thought was a frosty relationship was nothing personal. It was
political. Having said that, I will also add that I respect what the man of God
did at the event organized by Hon Onofiok Luke. He prayed for peace and
reconciliation. As a politician I know that in politics there are no permanent
foes but permanent interest. As Christians we must embrace peace, forgiveness
and reconciliation.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: In the statement, Senator Bob clearly
distanced himself from the reconciliation, why do you think he would do that?
UMANA: I am not the one to answer that
question. The Distinguished Senator is in a better position to answer that
question.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: You did not support his ambition to
return to the senate for a third term; could this be the real issue that is
causing disaffection between both of you?
UMANA: Senator Effiong Bob is my brother, as
I have earlier told you. I supported him fully in his first senatorial contest.
When he wanted to contest for a third term, he did not seek my support. Senator
Ita Enang sought my support and I gave him my support. Maybe Senator Bob felt
my support was of no consequence. But that was purely a political contest. It
had nothing to do with my personal relationship with my brother. The
Distinguished Senator is an experienced politician and so, he understands that
in any political contest there will be a winner and a loser. We are all living
witnesses to his political conquests. In his first term, he confronted and won
against Senator Anietie Okon in very controversial circumstances. In 2006/2007
he also won against Chief Ime Albert Akpan in another contentious and
controversial circumstance. Are we then to suggest that Senator Anietie Okon,
Chief Ime Albert and their supporters should never forgive Senator Efffiong Bob
and his supporters? Should they remain eternal enemies of Senator Bob? No!
Politicians view election support as the right to choose and that does not
constitute reason for perpetual enmity. Besides, in 2011, the powers that be
had endorsed both Ita Enang and Senator Effiong Bob. It wouldn’t have been easy
for me to give my full and open support to Senator Ita Enang if he had not been
endorsed by the powers that be. Similarly in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District
such multiple endorsements were also noticeable. Obong Bassey Inuayen,
Professor Ini Udoka and Hon Iquo Minimah were endorsed by the powers that be.
At the end of the day, Senator Aloysius Etok was nominated; should all those
who lost remain in eternal enmity with the supporters of Senator Etok,
especially as they were all victims of conspiracy and manipulations following
the multiple endorsements? Similarly, it is now clear that I and Sen Bob have
been victims of conspiracy and manipulation. We were set up to fight and
destroy each other.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: The Senator was also quoted as saying
you have not called to apologize to him. Do you think you owe him any
apologies?
UMANA: I hold Senator Bob in very high esteem and I
don’t have any quarrel with him. We have been talikng. But if he feels hurt or
has any misgiving against me, I use this opportunity to apologize to him and
appeal to him to let bygone be bygone. As good Christians, we must toe the path
of peace and reconciliation at all times.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: The Senator accused you in the said
statement of having a hand in his arrest in connection with the murder of the
late Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium. What is your reaction to this?
UMANA: That aspect is one of the reasons I
doubt the authenticity of the purported interview with Senator Bob. I am not
sure he could say such a thing. As a former Attorney General and Commissioner
for Justice in the state, I am sure he knows better than what was credited to
him. In the state, we have a governor, who is the chief security officer of the
state; we have the commissioner of police and the Director of SSS, as well as
the Attorney General, who is the Chief Law Officer of the state. These are the
people concerned with criminal justice system. I was the SSG; my brief did not
include criminal investigation. I had no knowledge of what the police do when
they investigate crimes. I was not in any position to interfere with police
investigations. That was not part of my job as SSG. As a former Attorney
General, I am sure Senator Bob knows how these things are done. No appointee of
government goes beyond his brief without the prior instruction and
authorization by the governor. I was not part of the police investigations and
therefore in no position to ask the police to arrest the Distinguished Senator
or any person for that matter.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: Recently a group came out to accuse you of
being the richest man in Akwa Ibom state. Are you that rich?
UMANA: I will not lose sleep over such weird and
baseless allegations. I don’t know how they came about that. But that is part
of politics. But for the sake of argument, how do you determine how much a man
is worth? The answer is through his assets and liabilities. If therefore you
judge me by what you think are my assets, do you know my liabilities?
WEEKLY INSIGHT: The group in the advertorial also said you
were at the helm of affairs at the FGPC and you did not use your position to
award contracts to Oro people. Why did you not award contracts to Oro People?
UMANA: Thank God that when I was chairman of FGPC, an
Oro man was the secretary. He was the one who issued all the letters of award
of contracts. For the avoidance of doubt, I did not award a single contract as
chairman of FGPC. All the letters of contract award were issued y the FGPC
secretary. It is expected that the FGPC secretary issues those letters after
the necessary clearance with the governor. If you award any contract that is
not approved by the governor, there is no way the contractor would get paid because
the Accountant General would never process any payment not backed by the
governor's approval. I consider it an insult to the person and office of the
governor of this state for people to be making such statements. I was a mere
political appointee. The buck stops at the governor's table in all matters. He
takes full responsibilities for all actions of government. It is becoming more
and more fashionable to pass the buck. I was the SSG, I merely carried out
assigned roles and the credit and blame go to the man elected to govern the
state and not his subordinates. That is how government works. I was not in a
position to award any contracts and so I never awarded any contract to anybody.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: Recently a newspaper report had it that the
Ibaka Seaport was not included in the Federal Government National Integrated
Infrastructural Master Plan, nor in the list of similar projects planned in
partnership between the federal government and state governments with
expectations of private investor collaborations. Some are accusing you as the
chairman of the implementation committee of not doing your work. What is the
state of the project?
UMANA: The state set up the Ibaka Seaport
Implementation Committee under my chairmanship with a defined work plan. The
committee was saddled with the responsibility of acquiring the land, and
producing the necessary survey plan for the location. We were also to develop
the concept master plan of the project. We had done all of that and submitted
our report to government. We had also recommended the construction of an access
road to the site. We had no powers to award any contract or embark on any
further development. The submission of the report would have led to the second
phase of the project; which would have covered provision of access road,
identification of investors and the commencement of actual physical
development. This was not to be because shortly after our report was submitted,
the state entered into a memorandum of Understanding with the federal
government, who now took over from there and appointed another implementation
committee, chaired by a federal government nominee with other members made up
of mainly federal agencies with the specific mandate to develop a seaport.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: There
is this story making the rounds that you have concluded plans to join the All
Progressive Congress, APC. How true is this?
UMANA: The story is absolutely false and baseless. I
am a committed and loyal member of the PDP. I have no intention to leave the
party to APC or to any other party. I am working hard with other committed and
loyal party men and women to make the party even stronger at all levels.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: How
about your governorship ambition, what is going on? Are you still interested in
the race?
UMANA: All I
can tell you now is that my political future is in the hands of God.
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